


Live or Die Like C'est la Vie

by Basttop



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Enemies to Lovers, Hitman - AU, Josh is a bit lonely, M/M, No that will happen, Slow Burn, Smut, They're both working for a company who kill people, Tyler is alone but not lonely, Tyler secretly too, being a hitman is a tough job, hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-11-22 22:50:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11390049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basttop/pseuds/Basttop
Summary: Josh Dun is a hitman, a very good one that is. He never has gotten close to being caught, or getting killed himself. Enter Tyler Joseph, Josh’s latest target and the most handsome man he has ever seen.Tyler Joseph is also a hitman, who just found out his last target was killed by someone else. And Tyler was kind of angry about that.





	1. If you're gonna hit me, hit me harder

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, this is like my first multi chaptered fic in this fandom.  
> I already have some more chapters finished, and also working on more right now. 
> 
> First time writing something different from fluffy, sweet stuff. So hope you'll like it.
> 
> Title is from Portugal the man, Noise Pollution (You should listen to it, very good :D)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some backstory about how Josh became a hitman

Josh sighs deeply, sometimes he just gets really tired of his job. It’s a shady job, but is pays very well. It’s not that someone’s gotta do it, but well, without a degree it was way more money than Josh could ever earn while working a normal job. And it leaves him time to do the things he really love.

He reads the notes he made after his last meeting with a client. His new target is a man, 43 years old, living in the suburbs with his family, suspected of making money for himself on the drugs he sells as also working for another drugs company. The client, the boss of this man, did not agree with that and asked Josh to take his employee out for him. It was a case of honour really. The client wanted his employees to know they could and should not mess with him. Josh thought the client himself was more criminal than his target was. He had done an elimination for this man before, and he was really merciless. If Josh was honest he would have no problem with killing this guy too, but The Company would not really appreciate him killing on his own. That could only get messy and very risky for Josh himself. And Josh was all about keeping the risks low for himself. He liked to be alive okay, he did not specifically like his life, but did not want to die just yet.

Josh thought back to the moment around six years ago. It was weird how he got in this business in the first place. He was working in 24 hour shop, a boring job,  especially at night when there were only a few customers. But that night there was a  creepy looking man entering the shop, approaching him at the counter, nothing in his shopping cart. The man just straight out asked him if he liked his job here, and if he wants to make big money.

Josh thought it was something stupid, like a making money on a scam or maybe even by modelling – not that he thought he was that good looking, but you never know, it wasn’t as weird as the truth in his opinion. Josh hesitantly told the man that indeed he didn’t like his job very much, the boredom and the crazy hours made him a bit of a zombie with no social life whatsoever. He mostly did the graveyard shifts because he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, even if he wanted to. At least now he made money with staying awake all night. But it really was boring, there was not much he could do, only wait until a customer came in, which, unfortunately, did not happen that often. He did a lot of reading, magazines and papers out of the stand next to the counter, but also a lot of books he brought from home.

It was a weird encounter, the man was very straightforward and asking that in the dead of night had made Josh curious. Yes, he kind of wanted to make more money than he did now. He barely mad enough to pay his rent and his food. He lived in a crappy apartment in a bad side of town, and even then he sometimes had to go to his parents for financial support. Not that they could help him that much, since Josh had three more siblings who were all in their teens and their parents both didn’t make that much money. But he had to eat at his parents way more often than he cared to admit or than he liked even. Besides, his drums really had to be replaced too – or maybe get fixed because he didn’t know if he could say goodbye to them. Either way, he could use money for that too.

So Josh said yes, not knowing what the offer really was but thinking he didn’t really have anything to lose.

That’s how Josh became a hitman. The man had handed him a business card, along with an appointment for the next day. And Josh had met up with the mysterious man the next day. He was a bit nervous, because, damn, that guy looked creepy. But he was nice. The man had kept an eye on Josh for a while now, looking for a new hitman for their business. And he thought Josh was really suitable for the job.  Josh had a good body, muscly but not too muscly, he was of average height and could blend in, in a crowd of people real easy, the guy told him. The only thing what was a bit concerning to him was the colour of his hair, as it was bright pink at this moment. But there were solutions for that, the man told him.

The guy, mister Jones, told him a bit about The Company, the really creative name of the business he worked at. He was working there as recruiter because the job of a hitman was a dangerous one and unfortunately not without the risk of getting killed yourself. Mister Jones was always on the look for new hitmen, which did cost a lot of time but was less dangerous. The first criterium was that the person was suitable for the job. It was time consuming because The Company didn’t want too many people to know about them. So he had to be careful in shadowing the potential new employee.

The second criterium was that the person wanted to work for The Company. It was the task of the recruiter to find out how big the chance was that the person would say yes, but there were cases where the potential employee would say no, although that didn’t happen very often.

But Josh had said yes. He had to move though, leave all his friends and family behind. They couldn’t know about his profession. That was okay because he didn’t really have that many friends. And his family, well, it wasn’t that they never talked but they weren’t exactly close either. And he could keep in contact through email and phone. Which was enough for Josh.

So he moved. To Los Angeles. It was almost as far from home as possible without leaving the country. He told his family he wanted to make a new start somewhere else and had found a better paying job there. He liked the fact that he would be able to provide for himself from now on. No more relying on his parents, no more mandatory dinners because he ran out of money. He was excited to move.

That is where he got trained to become a hitman. He learned how to shoot different kind of guns. Got training in various kinds of martial arts and self-defence. It took some time,  but he really liked it and he was good at it too, especially the martial arts.

For his first few targets he tagged along with someone else as The Company believed that was the best way to learn. And Josh agreed. He learned a lot in those months although it was a little more dangerous as there were two people shadowing the target and learning about his life. But his teacher was careful. He learned Josh how to be patient and observative. He wouldn’t have been as good of a hitman without his mentor and he was ever thankful to him.

That was six years ago. Now Josh believed he was one of the best hitmen the company had. He had killed over 20 people and had never been close to being caught or killed.

Josh made a profile of the new target. The places he visited. What were his regular places to go, from the supermarket, to his most loyal clients. Even the school of his children. Although he tried to leave those kids out of it as much as possible.  
It wasn’t like Josh liked killing men this way. Especially when they had children. But he also knew that most of his targets weren’t that innocent and he hoped the world became a little bit of a better place with these people gone. And yeah, he definitely needed the money. With this job he could even support his siblings in going to college. Everything he missed, they could have because of this job.

His youngest sister, Abigail, just started college this year. She was really smart and Josh was really happy she could go make something of her future.

His parents often wondered where all that money came from. Josh had always worked low paying jobs and suddenly he was making a lot of money.

At first, Josh didn’t really have an excuse for where all that money came from, he was just so happy that he could share it, that he didn’t think about the questions his family was going to ask.

But his luck was that most of the questions came through email. So he had time to make up a story.  
Looking for legitimate ways of making a lot of money, he eventually found about poker. That was something that could work, he thought.  His parents wouldn’t be that happy about it, but at least it was legal and didn’t involve killing people.

So that’s what he told them. Jordan was very much interested in the game and wanted to know everything about it. Which meant Josh had to learn the freaking game. As expected, his parents didn’t really like it, but they accepted it and were really glad their other children could go to college if they wanted.

Which brings him here, alone in his apartment, no friends, working until the early hours of the night, living for his job. His apartment was big, and he had the best drum set he could dream of, along with his old, battered one, the one he learned to play on, the one he just couldn’t get over his heart to throw away.

But this life was a lonely one. As much as he loved his drums, as much as he loved having enough time to drum his heart out and as much as he loved living in LA where there were a lot of bands he got to see playing, it just wasn’t enough sometimes. Sometimes he wanted someone to talk to, someone to go to those concerts with. Josh wasn’t really great at making friends, and him being a hitman made it that much harder as he was out of town a lot. And it wasn’t like he could say he was a hitman when he was asked what he did for a living. So to make things easier, he just didn’t bother going out and making friends. It was lonely, but for now, Josh was okay with it. It was just the fate he chose for himself. He hoped somewhere in the future, he could give up this lifestyle and settle down doing a normal 9 to 5 job, something he longed for from time to time but for now this was the best Josh could do.

He almost had processed all the information his client had provided him. After that it was time to shadow the target until he found the perfect place and time to take him out. But first it was time to get some much needed sleep and he knew the best way to get this case out of his head was to drum until he was tired out of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise it'll get better, I know nothing really happens here, next chapter, there will happen some things!  
> And, Tyler will appear in the next chapter too.


	2. Cause you give me just a little glimpse

Josh wakes up in Las Vegas. Ironically. He is not there to play poker, but to shadow his target. He felt a bit of dread in his body. The man had young children, the youngest was only three years old. Those kind of targets were the hardest for him. Most targets luckily didn’t have children, most were merely bad guys, but this guy was also a father. He needed to focus on the fact that this man did everything to make money, scamming and killing people. For the sake of his own sanity he needed to not think about those little kids. Maybe they were even better off without a father like that, Josh contemplated.

He got out of his large hotel bed. The benefit of his job was staying in luxury hotels, with the best beds and the best bathrooms. He got in Las Vegas late last night and he decided it would be best to get a good night of sleep before he would get to his job of shadowing.

Because it was hard to bring all the necessities he needed for finishing his job when he went by plane he chose to drive to his destination as much as possible. The security checks on planes were getting out of hand in Josh’s opinion and the equipment he brought with him would not get passed it, which, okay, was kind of logical, but still. Plus, he loved road trips, driving with the music on loud enough to drown out any thoughts and plainly enjoying his surroundings. So in the end he didn’t really mind he couldn’t take the plane.

After getting out of the shower he got dressed and put on a hat. It had been a long debate between The Company and him but he really liked his dyed hair, it had become a part of who he was. At last, The Company agreed that he could keep his wacky coloured hair on the condition he would change it once every time and he had to wear a hat or beanie while working. Josh could really live with these conditions, he even liked the fact that he had to dye it different colours.

He packed his stuff, a tracking device he hoped he could place on the car of his target, a camera and a notebook.

When Josh was finally ready he got out of his room. He was a bit slow this morning as it was already 10.30, so he could not waste any more time. He was going to the targets house, where he would post until the man came home. Driving there Josh relaxed and enjoyed the ride, as he knew he would not be able to do so for a while.

This was the most boring part of the job according to Josh. Processing the information was fun, as the target was new and Josh could get to know him through it. And it goes without saying that the actual killing of the target was exciting too. He always felt a rush of adrenaline run through his veins, even after killing twenty people. But shadowing and camping in front of their house or workplace was boring and required a lot of patience. Something Josh did not always have.

Already four hours had passed, Josh had expected the target home three hours ago. It was annoying really. He had fallen asleep after two hours, not being able to keep his eyes open. Needing to wake up a bit he got out of the car, walking around the neighbourhood, getting the sleep from his tired mind. It didn’t really matter if Josh was there when the target got home, the aim for today was to place the tracking device.

When he came back he saw another car, parked behind his own. And there was someone sitting in the driver’s seat.  Josh hoped the guy would go away quickly, it would be hard, if not impossible, to place the device if someone was watching him.

He gave the guy a good look, he was kind of attractive. From what he could see the guy was a slim, taller guy, with brown hair, shaved in a mohawk, wearing black or really dark clothes. He had a serious but tired expression on his face, which Josh was instantly drawn to.

Getting back in his car, he wondered why the brown haired guy was sitting in his car. Was he waiting for someone? Just passing some time? Josh didn’t know, but it would make his task a lot easier if the guy would leave like, right now.

Being focused on the guy in the car behind him, he forgot about his target. The man had already gotten home, when Josh snapped out of his thoughts, so when he would be alone, Josh could place the tracking device on the car.

But, Josh was in no luck today. The other guy didn’t leave. And there were two things Josh could do. He could wait. Or he could drive around for a while in the hope that when he came back the other man was gone.

He decided to go with the latter. He was really bored, and this way he could get something to eat. He drove to Taco Bell, concluding that his job already wasn’t that healthy with all the stake outs he had to do, so a bit of greasy fast food wouldn’t make that much of a difference.

After his ‘dinner’, he drove around town for a bit, before going back to his target’s house. Josh sighed with relieve when he saw the brown haired stranger was gone. He parked his car a block away, not wanting to have someone notice and recognise him and made his way over the fancy looking car in front of the drugs dealer’s house.  It was already getting dark, which worked in Josh’s favour of not wanting to get noticed. It was a routine job and he was quickly done with placing the device.

Josh decided he had done enough for today. It may not seem like much, but he gathered a bit more information and tomorrow was a new day.

Back in his hotel room Josh was sad he didn’t have his drums with him, he really wanted to hit something. All this sitting around in his car all day made him antsy and full of pent-up energy, looking for a way out. Without his drums, he thought the gym would have to do. But first he had to report back to his boss, so he called him.

His boss, Jack, answered almost immediately, “Josh, tell me how you’re doing, I was already expecting your call.”

“Hi, Jack. It’s going pretty good, had a bit of a hiccup this late afternoon, but the tracking device is placed under his car,” Josh answered his boss.

Josh got along pretty well with his boss. Jack had been his mentor when Josh first started, and he taught him almost everything Josh knows about being a hitman at this point. But Jack was getting older and slower, so he had decided it would be better for him to take a step back and work from the office instead of on the streets.

But Jack wanted to know everything and expected full reports of his men on the street. And Josh didn’t mind giving him these, he thought of Jack as his role model, his mentor was someone he looked up to. Jack told him he saw him as a son, he never had any children, but he said Josh was the closest he had to a son. Josh guessed it was because this business was weird, that made his relationship with his boss out of the ordinary too.

“What kind of hiccup?” Jack asked, curiosity present in his voice. Josh knew Jack lived for the excitement of this job and because he wasn’t able to experience that for himself anymore he needed to hear that from others.

“Not that exciting, Jack, I’m sorry, there was another guy waiting in the street, he was eh… well just sitting there, just like me. First I waited for him to leave, but he didn’t, so I left for a while. When I came back he was gone, so really not that interesting,” Josh told the older man.

“Hmm, well. Just be careful Josh, keep an eye out for that man. He could be dangerous. Like I taught you, you can never be too cautious. Do you think you’ll recognise him if you see him again?”

Josh chuckled a bit, he didn’t think he would forget the stranger’s face very soon, he really was intrigued by it. “Yeah, I think I’ll recognise him. Don’t worry, learned from the best, I’ll be careful,” he smiled. Really, Jack was the best boss he could wish for. When he heard that Jack would become his boss, he was really happy. It was nice to have someone like him in his life.

“Alright, call me again tomorrow. Or if there are any developments.”

“I will, thanks Jack, talk to you soon.” And with that, Josh hung up.

He changed into some basketball shorts and a muscle shirt quickly, not wanting to wait any longer to go to the gym and get rid of some of this energy inside of him.

-

Josh was totally soaked in sweat. He had been running on the treadmill for over an hour and he was finally getting tired. He slowed down, running it out, a little cooling down as he didn’t want his muscles to ache tomorrow, when he saw a guy coming into the gym, brown hair, shaved into a mohawk, hauntingly beautiful brown eyes.

Josh was right, he wouldn’t be able to forget a face like that. It was the same guy he saw this afternoon, looking even more beautiful than a few hours ago. The man was also dressed in basketball shorts but with a black plain t-shirt.

He looked cute but also like someone you should not mess with. Josh could not stop staring, drawn to both vibes the man radiated.

The brown haired stranger also got on a treadmill, leaving one between him and Josh. They made eye contact through the mirror and Josh averted his eyes immediately, ducking his head.

When Josh dared to look up again, he couldn’t help to look into the direction of the other man again. He noticed the man was still staring at him and smiled when Josh looked him in the eye again.

And with that smile, Josh was left in shock. That was one fucking beautiful smile, his mouth fell open a bit, but luckily he could regain quickly himself, returning the smile, although a bit hesitant.

The other man returned to his running and Josh decided he was done, taking his towel and heading back to his room, just giving the guy one last glance before turning around and leaving the gym.

Josh knew he had to be careful now, this was the second time in a day that he had seen this man. And this time the other had noticed him too. And Josh was easy to remember, with the blue hair. Tomorrow he would make sure his hair was totally covered, from when got out of his hotel room until he got back. Also, it wouldn’t hurt if he wore his sunglasses more tomorrow. Luckily it was pretty sunny here in Las Vegas, so he wouldn’t look like a douchebag. Not that he really cared, but… Alright, Josh cared, he didn’t like it if people thought he was a douchebag.

Back in his room he took a quick shower while contemplating if he should call Jack again or wait until tomorrow.

Eventually he decided it could wait, he was tired and it wasn’t like the stranger could harm him here.  First thing tomorrow, he would call Jack. It was important other people, and especially his boss, knew about the current situation he was in, the possible dangers he was facing, all having to do with being careful.

For now, he got in bed, feeling rather tired. Running wasn’t the same as playing his drums, but it got the job done. He fell asleep pretty fast, his dreams filled with crooked teeth, chocolate brown eyes and pretty smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, technically Tyler appeared in this chapter? Ugh, I know it's going slow.   
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> X


	3. In cold blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh and Tyler meet. It's not what Josh expected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a somewhat graphic violence and mentions of blood at the end. So read with care, just to be sure :)

Josh woke up, feeling a bit sad. For a few nights now, his dreams were filled with the handsome stranger. And every time he woke up, he hated the fact that those dreams weren’t true.

He told Jack about his encounter with the stranger in the gym. Jack told him over and over again that he should be careful. That if he saw the guy again that he should lay low for a little while. The job had to be done, the client already paid a part in advance. But it could wait for a little while, if Josh was in danger, or even possibly could get killed, he wouldn’t be able to complete his task at all, so caution was required.

Josh hadn’t seen the guy anywhere near the target anymore. Partly because he spent most of his time in his hotel room, behind his laptop. From there he could follow the tracking device, mapping out the target’s routine.

Josh did see the stranger in the gym again. This time he had just gotten there, and the other man got on the same treadmill, again leaving one between him and Josh.

They didn’t talk. Josh didn’t dare to do that, and well, he didn’t know why the stranger wouldn’t talk. But they didn’t talk.

They looked at each other though, intense stares, sometimes ending with a small smile. Josh could feel the other man’s scrutinizing gaze on him when he was getting too anxious to look at the other. But they didn’t talk.

And, oh, how Josh wanted to talk to this handsome man. He wanted to get to know him, find out what his favourite food was, what music he listened to. Stupid stuff like that. And all because of the vibe that radiated off the man.

But Josh knew he had to be so careful. The man could have seen him with the target. Or could spot him there later. He figured it was just best to keep it at looking at each other. Besides even if he didn’t have to be careful, Josh was really bad at talking to people, he was awkward, he really didn’t know what he could say.

So he kept it to discrete staring. Well… as discrete as possible. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it was better than nothing.

-

Josh got out of bed, today he would determine the place where he would possibly kill his target. He was already shadowing the man for more than a week. His method was to find the most secluded, private place for him to kill his target, without too many security camera’s (he would switch them off before he actually went in to kill the target). Besides that,  he would learn the place inside out. Preferably he would get a blueprint of the place, but if that wasn’t possible, he would draw out his own map.

This preparation was important, it eliminated the most risks possible. Although The Company wanted to let others know that it was one of them that killed the person, they didn’t want anyone to find out who the killer personally was. It was important to keep the employees off the map of the police.

Dressed in dark jeans, a black hoodie, a black hat and his sunglasses, Josh went out to the office the guy rented. It was mainly a small room in a dingy building. It was as if the man had chosen the crappiest building complex in the grimiest, poorest neighbourhood.

As far as Josh knew for now, there weren’t any security camera’s around the building. Yes he had seen two, but they were both fake, something even an untrained eye could see.

It made the job only easier for Josh, and he thanked his target silently. He had done a background check on the area. There was a lot of crime here and not nearly enough money for the police to even investigate let alone solve all these cases.

He figured a man, killed in his shabby office was a bit rare, especially when they would find out it was a hitman job, but the low budget of the police made the chances of getting caught even smaller.

Besides, the people in this part of town wouldn’t really care about a drugs dealer who had killed some men himself too. Probably even men that the citizen knew personally.

All in all, the office was the best place to kill his target and now he had determined where he would kill the man, it was only a matter of time. Now Josh had to decide _when_ to take him out.

The man had not really a set pattern of when he came to his office, so Josh probably should camp near the place to see when he would arrive. That would be easy enough, the tracking device could tell him if the target was near and then he would only have to wait and follow him inside.

His plan was ready. Tomorrow he would finally execute it and finalise the job.

\--

Back at his hotel room Josh made his equipment ready for the next day. First and mostly his gun, along with a muffler. Although anyone near would probably not even look up from a gunshot, caution was key.

His outfit, which he also made ready for tomorrow, was all black for tomorrow was all black, with leather gloves.

Josh also made sure he was ready to leave this town after he was finished with his job.

When he was done packing, done with his preparations, he made his way over to the gym for the last time. He was on edge for tomorrow and running helped him ease his mind for a bit.

Of course the man that haunted his dreams was in the gym too, this time he was already on the treadmill.

Josh gave him a smile of recognition getting on the treadmill too, trying not to give the other man too many stares, tomorrow Josh would be gone so he needed to get the man out of his head.

But the brunet had other plans as it seemed. He got of the treadmill and walked over to Josh, leaning on the machine. His face covered in a sheen of sweat and he was checking Josh out from head to toe, his eyes burning with… _something._

Josh quivered self-consciously under the piercing gaze and gave the other a questioning look.

The brunet didn’t say a thing, just kept watching Josh, seemingly liking what he saw, by the look on his face. 

“Ehm, sorry, can I help you?” Josh asked the man, really starting to feel uncomfortable.

“I think you can. You can join me for drinks in the bar after you finished. I’ve seen you here a few times now and always alone, so I think you can use some company.”

Josh scoffed a bit, “well, as tempting as that sounds, I think I should go to bed early, long day tomorrow, you know?”

“Alright, suit yourself, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the bar in thirty minutes and will be there for the rest of the night. I’ll even pay the first round if you decide to come.”

And with that the other man left the gym, leaving Josh behind.

Josh didn’t know what to do. His thoughts swirled through his mind while he was running. This is what his dreams were filled with. This he what he actually wanted. But what if this man knew more about him than Josh could assume? What if the man knew that Josh was a hitman? That would be too dangerous.

But then there was the possibility that the man knew nothing about him and just was looking for some company. Something Josh was craving at this point too. And that craving made him lose all cautiousness for a moment because he decided to go for one drink with this stranger. One drink wouldn’t hurt right?

He quickly went back to his room for a shower and to change in some more decent clothing, before heading downstairs to the bar.

Getting there he saw the handsome guy sitting in a booth. Wearing a dark button down with the sleeves cut off, his hair a bit messy, a few strands hanging over his forehead. The tattoo’s covering his arms complimenting the black shirt. He looked more handsome than Josh had ever seen him.

Tentatively, he walked towards the man, a bit unsure if he really should go through with this.

But before he could change his mind, the brunet noticed him, waving him over.

“Let me get you a drink immediately,” he said when Josh slipped into the booth. “What’re you having?”

“Gin-tonic?”

“G&T huh? Alright, coming up,” and with that the stranger got up to the bar to order.

When he came back with the drinks, he put Josh’s drink in front of him. “I’m Tyler by the way.”

“Josh.”

“Josh… suits you. Now Josh, what are you doing in Las Vegas for more than a week?” Tyler asks while sliding back into the booth.

Ah, the famous question, Josh thinks, “eh, poker?”

“You don’t seem so sure,” Tyler analyses, leaning back against the seat and taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh… No. I am. It’s just, it wasn’t a tournament or something, merely getting some practice, hoping to make some money while practicing,” Josh says quickly. “And you? You don’t seem like a poker player to me.”

“Are you any good?” the other man asked, ignoring Josh’s question.

“Well, I can make a living off of it, so sure, I guess.”

“You should teach me, if I’m any good we can even turn it in to strip poker,” Tyler answered with an indifferent look on his face.

Josh couldn’t seem to figure the brunet out. He seemed real distant, but Tyler was the one that came to him. He didn’t have to do that. He had bought Josh a drink, he did not have to do that. So why was he acting this way?

“We could do that, but I really want a break from poker if you don’t mind,” Josh told the man.

“Sure, we’ll keep it to drinks then,” Tyler said a small smile on his face.

They talked for hours, well, mostly Josh. Josh told him things about his childhood, his favourite music, his favourite food. Things he wanted to know from Tyler. But each and every question Josh asked Tyler, he avoided with all he could. It was annoying to Josh, he wanted to learn about the guy, but it made him also all the more interested. This inexplicable façade made him want to get to know the man even more.

They talked for so long, that the bar was closing. “You wanna talk some more in my room?” Tyler asked.

Josh though about it, he should probably go to bed, he wanted to get up early tomorrow to make some last preparations. “Sure,” he answered. Alright, not going to sleep then.

They got up to Tyler’s room, practically the same as Josh’s. He had a bottle of wine in the mini fridge, which Tyler opened. “Wine?”

“Sure,” Josh answered again. Tomorrow was going to be awful to wake up.

Tyler handed him a glass of wine, sitting close to the blue haired man.

“So, you said you’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Right.”

“So why not make the best of Las Vegas for tonight, go out with a bang,” Tyler smirked at Josh, his eyes burning with lust.

It wasn’t hard for Josh to figure out what Tyler meant. And all the alcohol in his body made him agree with him in an instance. He moved forward, wine sloshing out of the glass, placing his lips on Tyler’s plump ones.

While kissing, Tyler took Josh’s glass out of his hand, carefully placing it on the table besides him. After that he deepened the kiss, grazing his teeth over Josh’s bottom lip.

Tyler got up, not parting from Josh, but pulling him up with him and pinning hard him against the wall besides the sofa. He immediately shoved his knee between  Josh’s legs pushing it against Josh’s crotch, drawing a loud moan from his lips. The kiss they shared was rough and needy, both desperate for more.

Tyler turned Josh around and pushed him onto the bed with vigour, immediately climbing on Josh’s lap and locking lips together again.

“I’m gonna fuck you so hard, you’ll feel it for days,” Tyler growls at Josh neck, forcefully sucking bruises into the delicate skin there.

“Please,” Josh moans, “Fuck me, please!”

They discard their clothes quickly, not wasting any time and while Tyler preps Josh, he moans and groans, the feeling of Tyler’s fingers inside him makes him feel so good.

Tyler pulls his fingers out, smirking at Josh, who is whimpering and moaning beneath him.

“Don’t you worry, you’ll be feeling real good in a minute,” he whispers in Josh’s ear.

Josh shudders at that, not able to bring any coherent words out.

Tyler fucks him, starting slow but the thrusts are getting harder and faster quickly. Josh’s hands are pinned down above his head and with each thrust from Tyler he gets pushed into the mattress deeper.

They are both loud, moans escaping from their lips and reaching their climax together.

Tyler slumps down on Josh. His body totally limp. They lay there for a while, both panting, coming down from their high.

Afterwards they both clean up, Josh getting up to go to his own room.

“You can stay if you want, I don’t mind,” Tyler tells him a tired look on his face.

Josh, longing for more closeness, drops his clothes and slips next to Tyler under the covers.

“Goodnight,” he mumbles.

“Goodnight,” Tyler whispers back, wrapping his arms around Josh’s torso.

\---

It’s early in the morning when Josh wakes up. Tyler is still sound asleep, snoring softly. The blue haired guy gets up quietly, collecting his clothes and leaving to his own room.

He feels a little hung over, but it’s not as bad as he’d expected. Although he does have a pain in his ass. He guessed Tyler had hold his promise.

Today’s the day. The day he’s going to take out his target. Josh feels ready.

He briefly thinks back to last night, amazing as it was, he had to forget Tyler. He would never see the man again. It was a bit sad, but Josh was used to it. It’s not like he could have kept the lie of him being a poker player going for that long. So it was okay.

Changing into his outfit for today and collecting his equipment, he was ready to leave. He checked to see where his target’s car was at quickly, before heading out and leaving for the dingy building where he would kill his target.

This was the time. It was only a matter of hours before the man would be dead. Josh already felt adrenaline flowing through his veins.

Arriving in the seedy neighbourhood he took place at the predetermined spot. He now had to wait until his target arrived at his office.

To kill some time, he thought back to Tyler. The guy was really mysterious. Josh practically knew nothing about him, apart from the fact that he liked somewhat rough sex and he drank whiskey.

After an hour and a half he perked up. His target was heading towards the office.

Thirty minutes from now, the guy would be dead. Josh always found it weird thinking about it. He already knew his target would be dead then. But the man himself had no idea. It gave Josh a feeling of power, he had the life of this man in his hands, or rather his death.

From his hiding spot, he had a perfect view at the entrance of the building, so he saw his target arriving and heading in.

Josh got up, totally ready, feeling if he had his gun and checking if it was loaded.

He followed the man inside, leaving enough distance between the two of them.

Considering how much time he had put into the preparations, it would be over quickly, this elimination was made really easy for Josh.

Even the door to the target’s office wasn’t locked, so walking in would be effortless.

Taking one big gulp of air, he psyched himself up, one gloved hand on the door handle.

He was ready. He threw the door open, readying his gun with two hands, aiming it at the man in the office chair.

Josh wasn’t a fan of drama but couldn’t hold himself back. “I guess this is hello and goodbye,” smirking while he talked and pulling the trigger afterwards.

The man’s head flew backwards, against the chair, blood splattering everywhere. He was dead instantly.

Josh lowered his gun, trying to regain his calmness. No matter how many people he had shot, it always left him a bit uneased.

He got to work quickly, cutting the thumbs of his latest victim and putting them in a zip lock back.

It was a bit gross, but that was something he had gotten used to.

Looking around one last time, checking if everything else was in place, he left the office, closing the door behind him.

When he walked back to his car, he saw a familiar brunet walking his way. Josh was confused, what did Tyler do in this neighbourhood? And shit, what did Josh do in this neighbourhood.

“Hi… Tyler…”

“Josh!” the brunet brought out, shock on his face. “Hey. I’m in a hurry. Ehh… Bye. Sorry.” And Tyler speed walked away, not giving Josh any opportunity to say something else.

Josh got to his car, still wondering why he walked into Tyler in this area, but forgetting about it quickly as there were other things to worry about. Like calling Jack to inform him the job was done and getting his stuff from the hotel so he could get back on the road as soon as possible. His job was finished. Time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it still slowburn after this chapter? I don't even know anymore.
> 
> Fun fact: I wanted them to use fake names when they met. But I even confused myself while writing it. So just imagine that they used fake names kay? Kay.
> 
> Oh, next chapter might take a while since I'm on holiday right now, but I hope I can update soon :)
> 
> Please let me know what you think!! <3


	4. Am I the lesser of two evils?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler arrives at the scene a little after running into Josh. And to say the least. He is not amused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. This had been a long time coming. I just had a major writer's block. But I'm kinda over it now. So yay!  
> I can't promise faster updates but let's hope together that I will update more often? :)
> 
> Okay enjoy :)

Tyler was pissed off. Furious even. He kicked the desk in front of him. There he was, more than a thousand miles from home, doing the job he was hired for, killing the man who had killed several people himself. And now, the guy was already dead. When he arrived at the man’s office, he found him dead in his office chair, both of his thumbs missing.

Tyler knew what that meant, an elimination by another hitman. And he knew exactly which company it was as each one had his own trademark. When he killed someone, he had to cut off the ear, didn’t really matter which one. It was so everyone knew which company was the biggest, which company killed the most criminals and sending a message not to fuck with them.

There was no way that he could go to his boss and tell him he killed the target. He would soon find out that his thumbs were cut off. And his boss really didn’t appreciate being lied to.

Tyler sighed, this was just his fucking luck. The guy wasn’t even dead for that long, if Tyler would just got up a little earlier today. He quickly walked out of the office, making sure he left no traces behind.

He decided it was probably best to call his boss immediately. Not that he was looking forward to it. But it was best to just get it over with. He could tell him about the other company, hopefully his boss could find out who the assigned hitman was.

“Hi, Brad?”

Tyler heard the man sigh loud, “What is it, Joseph?”

“Alright, you may be my boss now, but tone it down a bit, you used to be just like me, that you became such a pussy that doesn’t want to get out there anymore doesn’t mean you can talk to me like that, _Rollins_ ,” he sneers.

“No need to be a jealous bitch, man. Just tell me you’re calling because the job is done.”

Tyler grumbles, “Not jealous, I would be bored out of my mind. If I had applied for that position too I would have totally be the one to get it, we both know that. But no. There is a bit of a problem here. Apparently someone else hired a hitman to kill the same man. It was the Company, his thumbs were cut off.”

“Fuck, Joseph, we can’t afford shit like that,” Brad exclaims.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Alright, well, just come home as fast as possible, then we’ll talk further about this. In the mean time I’ll look into The Company to see if I can pinpoint who the hitman was.”

“Okay, _boss_. I think I’ll be able to get back in three days.”

“Good, we’ll talk then.”

Tyler just hangs up the phone without saying goodbye. It wasn’t like he hated Brad, most of the times they got along pretty well. But Tyler was just really irritated with the situation. This had never happened to him before.

 

 

Getting back in the hotel, Tyler immediately got all his stuff, wanting to get on the road as soon as possible. He had to drive 2000 miles, and having to drive all of it alone, he wanted to get it over with.

-

After three days, two ratty hotels along the road, he was finally back home. The trip hadn’t done any good to his mood, adding a lack of sleep and being bored out of his mind. So the first thing he did when he got home was get some sleep. Brad would have to wait until tomorrow and it probably would be better for both of them if Tyler’s mood was a little bit better.

The next day he went to The Organisation, as the company he worked for was called, to talk to Brad. Hitmen might be very good at killing people, but being creative with naming their business wasn’t their strong suit.

Tyler hoped Brad had found the guy who eliminated the target. And why The Company also was assigned to take the guy out.

Walking in, he was greeted by Rollins’s assistant, a small innocent looking girl, but always very friendly.

“Hello, mister Joseph, you’re expected. You can walk into mister Rollins’s office immediately, I will let him know you’re here,” she smiled at him.

Tyler smiled too, the night of sleep in his own bed had done him good “Thank you Marina, can you bring us some coffee too? If it’s not too much effort, that is.”

“Of course sir, do you need anything else?”

“Ah great, I haven’t had any today. And, no, that’s it. Thanks again, I appreciate it,” he smiled at her again.

He walks into Brad’s office without knocking. He knew Brad hated that, but he just couldn’t be bothered really.

“Hi, _boss,_ ” Tyler grins and Brad rolls his eyes at him.

“Tyler.”

Tyler goes and sits down in the only other chair in the office. Really, Brad had such a big office but there were only a desk with an office chair and a chair on the other side, the one where Tyler takes place.  Apart from that there’s nothing there, nothing on the wall, no decorations anywhere. Brad said it was because he liked clean and minimalistic, nothing to distract him. Tyler thought it looked like Brad was getting ready to move at any moment.

Brad shoved his laptop aside and looked at Tyler. “Well, here we have our champion.”

Tyler glared at Brad, “There would have been no problem if The Company wouldn’t have been there first. And isn’t it your job to find stuff like that out? To examine the risks and possibilities?”

“Now, now. Don’t blame me. If you just worked a bit faster, we wouldn’t have a problem in the first place. Bet you got distracted by some random hot guy you met somewhere, didn’t you,” Brad smiled calmly. He knew he was right. Tyler had a habit of distracting himself with some casual sex.

Luckily for Tyler, Marina came in with coffee, handing one of the mugs to Tyler.

“Thank you so much, Marina,” Tyler smiled, “This makes dealing with our boss way more bearable.”

Marina giggled a bit at that but didn’t say anything before she left them alone again.

“So?” Brad asked, “You gonna tell me I’m right?”

“Sure, you’re right about me meeting a hot guy,” Tyler shrugged, “But it wouldn’t have changed a thing , I wouldn’t have gone and kill the target sooner if I hadn’t.”

“Alright, alright, looking for who’s to blame won’t get us any further, so let’s go and look how we can solve this mess. I looked into The Company. Haven’t found out yet who the killer is but we can be sure it was them that killed the guy.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. Brad’s uniqueness was being thorough and he had some perfectionistic tendencies, it was what made him great at his job. But stating the obvious and ignoring that Tyler had stated that three days ago was annoying really. “Yeah, told you that when I found out the guy missed his thumbs. We know that it’s signature of The Company.”

Brad smiled sweetly at him, taking a sip of his coffee. “Have you ever heard of something like copy-cats?” he asked, “But sure, you’re right, made examining this case a lot easier.”

“Okay, well. What do we do now? Don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like this?” Tyler asked. He wasn’t too apprehensive anymore. He knew that if Brad, or even Brad’s boss would have been angry he would have heard it by now. Not that he would relax totally but he was a little more at ease now.

“I discussed the case with my boss and even with his boss, and we came to the conclusion that we need to send The Company a message. We want to make clear that they can’t take our assignments. Maybe they didn’t know. But we won’t take this lightly. The boss wasn’t happy when he found out. It’s a matter of honour really.” Rollins leaned back in his comfortable office chair. Tyler was jealous, the chair he was in was intentionally very uncomfortable as Brad didn’t like his guest to stay longer then strictly necessary.

“And we’re gonna make a protocol after this,” Brad continued, “before we take an assignment now, we will check if no one else want’s the designated person dead too. Find out if there’s another party involved. Anything to prevent this from happening again.”

“Alright, that sounds good,” Tyler commented as he got up. That chair really was uncomfortable. “Anything you need me to do?”

“Actually, yes. Now I know you’re not keen on being behind a computer for too long but I need you to help me find out who the person was who killed our target.”

Tyler groaned, “really? I can’t do another assignment while you find out who beat me in finishing the target?”

“Nope,” Brad grinned, “and because you’re so excited you can start right away. Isn’t that just fun? But, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll find the guy. Or girl, who knows.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “So where do you want me?”

“There’s an office free for you at the end of the hallway, if you ask Marina, she’ll guide you there.”

“Great,” Tyler smiled sarcastically “I look forward to it.”

\--

 

Josh was so tired. In some way his last assignment really got to him. Not because he felt sorry for the man in question. But he couldn’t stop thinking about his kids, the family the man had. It made him reconsidering his choice of work. Maybe he should go back to working in a supermarket or whatever.

He sighed. It was something what happened to him every other time. He knew he was good at what he did. And most of the time he kinda liked it. He liked taking out the bad guys, he thought they deserved it. But then there were times like this. Where he contemplated if he should be the one to play god over them. If he should be the one making the decision over their lives. Josh knew he wouldn’t stop anytime soon. No matter how he felt afterwards. He liked that he could support his siblings and his parents. And he kinda liked doing his job too.

He had asked for a few days off. Jack had agreed immediately but had insisted he stopped by later that week. Josh smiled when Jack told him that. It really felt as if Jack was his second dad. And one who knew about his job. Which was great because he sometimes needed someone to talk to, to vent his feelings to. And Jack was always there to listen.

But besides his dejected thoughts about his job, he also couldn’t stop thinking about Tyler. Josh was never one to get hung up on a guy, he had accepted the fact that a relationship was kinda out of the question. But Tyler was another reason he didn’t like his job at the moment. He just couldn’t get him out of his head. The man had been so mysterious. The more Josh thought about it, the more he realised he didn’t know anything about the brunet. If only he could just get those brown, freakishly beautiful eyes out of his head. That would be great. He didn’t have any way to contact the man, so it would be better just to forget about him.

And besides, the chance Tyler would still be thinking about him at this moment was not that big, Josh pondered. Tyler just didn’t seem like that kind of guy.

\---

But that’s where Josh was wrong. Tyler _was_ thinking about him at that moment. Not in the way Josh would have hoped. But after two days of investigating and researching he finally found the guy who finished Tyler’s job for him.

And Tyler was immediately certain he found the right guy. It did explain why he saw Josh in that shady neighbourhood. It did also explain why Josh left his hotel room so early in the morning. Well, alright there were other reasons he could think of. But this explained it too.

Only thing was. Tyler didn’t know what he should do with the information. Well he knew he had to tell Brad. But should he tell him about the fact that he slept with him too? Would they find out if he didn’t? Would it matter if he did? He knew Brad would interrogate him if he has seen Josh. And if he said he didn’t, he wasn’t sure if Brad would believe him. A guy with blue hair would be easy to remember. And it wouldn’t take long to find out they stayed in the same hotel. Tyler leaned back in his chair, sighing. A positively more comfortable chair than the one in Brad's office. Internally he scolded himself for thinking with his dick when he should have been working. Then he wouldn’t have been so hung-over and he would have arrived earlier which meant he wouldn't be in this situation right now. Ah, the what ifs he loved to torture himself with. He knew it wouldn't change a thing but he couldn't stop it.

While Tyler was deep in thought, Brad came in, bag over his shoulder and keys in hand.

“Ty,” he said, “I’m going home, meeting tomorrow in my office at nine, okay?”

Tyler shook out of his thoughts, “huh? Yeah sure. Tomorrow at nine,” he responded and Brad smiled at him, then closing the door.

Seemed like Tyler had a whole night to figure out what he was going to tell Brad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, all characters besides Tyler and Josh are original (except for family) so any resembling names to real people are because I just like the name. 
> 
> Let me know what you think. I love reading your comments :)

**Author's Note:**

> Want to talk? hmu at tumblr: [Bast-top](bast-top.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
